The Art of Executive Presence – How to Influence at Every Level

0:00The presence of mind, it builds trust and trust builds influence and influence builds results. Good morning, wherever you are in the world. So today we are going to talk about the art of executive presence and how you can influence at every single level. So just want to say a big hello to all of you who are part of this incredible, brave, bold, brilliant community. It's Jeanette here. And today I want to talk a conversation that it really gets to the heart of how, you know, you show up in rooms, on calls, in negotiations, you know, and in those everyday moments that really define how others perceive you.

0:52Now we're talking about executive presence. So before you switch off, thinking this is only, you know, applies to CEOs or those people with corner offices, you know, I want you to hear this clearly. Right. Executive presence is not about your title. It's about how you carry yourself, how you communicate and how you influence at every level of your career or business. So this is absolutely for you. OK, so you might be scaling a startup. You might actually be in a bit of a transition, a period of change. Maybe you're running a team or you might actually be running solo. But wherever you are, how you show up really matters.

1:46Because presence is the bridge between your ideas and your impact. And let's be honest, you know, there's a lot of noise out there and that can mean that we get distracted. You know, we're in a high speed world and true presence is is quite rare, actually. But it's also magnetic. It can be memorable and completely within your control to develop. So today I am going to walk you through three powerful elements that shape true executive presence. Now, these are not just surface level tips or tricks. These are deep practices that will help you become more intentional, more aligned and importantly, a lot more effective in every space that you step into.

2:45So we're going to dive in. But before I do that, I just wanted to remind you that with Brave Bob Brilliant, we're a community we're a community of leaders business people those starting out in their career that want to be more achieve more be the best version of ourselves so I'm really pleased that this community that we're building is just going from strength to strength it really is and that gives me great joy because our purpose is really clear it's to unlock greatness in all of you by being brave and bold that will get you to that brilliant state that's why we're here we're here to help and support and guide each other so if you are not signed up to brave brilliant community go to the website just sign up because you're going to find loads of free resources there you're going to find a community of like-minded people that can help you on your journey on your career path on your professional development and your personal development so just head to www.brave-bold-brilliant.com the new website has just gone live so we're super proud of it the team and i have been working tirelessly on that so please do check it out and remember you know you can watch brave bold brilliant on youtube you might be watching this live you might be watching it back as a podcast episode and of course whenever you listen to your podcast whether it's you know apple apple podcast whether it's spotify you can find us there hit the subscribe button and the reason i ask you to do that is because it means that you're going to get notified whenever we go live with a new episode and it just means that we can reach and help more people so please do hit that subscribe button it would mean a lot to to myself and the team so let's get into this as I said I am going to cover three areas and I like for those of you that are getting to know me quite well I like simple stuff that works okay life gets too complicated sometimes and we can often over complicate things so let's keep it simple let's keep it real and these are things that I have personally worked on through my 30 plus years in business and I haven't always got it right so I've learned from the mistakes as well.

5:12So element one, this is about presence. Now presence, it is more than performance and I'm talking really about presence of mind. Now we often think with presence about this is about how we look but true executive presence starts with how we feel internally. It's always is an inside job. Leading yourself, leading your teams, leading the business, it all starts with you. You know, have you ever been in a meeting with someone who was clearly somewhere else mentally? I know I have. Or on the flip side, you know, someone who made you feel like the most important person in the room just by being fully with you.

6:00Now that's presence. We're not talking about perfection we're not pretending presence and this kind of presence it requires an intention it means grounding yourself before you step into a high stakes moment it's about taking a breath instead of reacting you know choosing silence over scrambling and most of all it really means training your mind to be here now, you know, not racing to your next task. How often do we do that? I know I've been guilty as charged. Hands up if you've ever done that. Absolutely. Now, it may sound simple, but it is incredibly powerful. As I said, I like simple stuff that works.

6:45And presence of mind, it builds trust. And trust builds influence. And influence builds results. I always say, and this has been born out from, as I say, 30 plus years in business. I have been around the block a little bit. But, you know, people do business with those that they know, like and trust. People build relationships on a personal basis with people they know, like and trust. So this presence piece, it's so powerful, so important. So here's your practice. So before your next meeting or conversation, just stop. And I'm only talking 60 seconds. Stop. Breathe. And ask yourself, who do I need to be in this room today?

7:39And let that guide how you show up. Do you need to be the decision maker today? Do you need to be the inspirer? Do you need to be the person that's going to encourage and support the team? Do you need to be the leader? Do you need to be the follower? You know, there's lots of different roles that we play. And that will guide how you show up in your presence. OK. Element number two. This is all about communicating with clarity, not complexity. You know, so presence is also expressed through communication. But presence gets lost when our communication is cluttered, rushed or unclear. You know, think about it.

8:37Think about the people you spent time around. And it's really those leaders with strong executive presence. They speak with precision. They don't over explain. They don't need to fill every silence. They know the power of a pause. They speak from their centre. calm, considered and compelling. And this is especially important when you're speaking to different audiences. You might have clients, teams, investors, peers. You've got to learn to flex your message without losing your essence. So ask yourself, are you speaking to connect or to impress? Are you focusing on what matters? Or are you burying your message in complexity?

9:39It is a skill to be able to articulate

9:47complexity into a very simple message. So one way that you can elevate your communication is just really start by practicing intentional silence. You know, let your words land. Let people absorb what you're saying. Don't rush to over justify. I have been so guilty of this over the years. Chat, chat, chat, chat, chat, chat. And that often happens when you're nervous. Ever done that? Where maybe, you know, you're feeling under pressure and you just want to get it out. You just want to get it over with. or maybe your back's against the wall and you know you're you're really sort of feeling feeling the pressure and the nerves and you can just over talk I've definitely done it so this is something I practice and I have to practice today as well let me say you know to remember clarity creates confidence when you're clear people trust you and when they trust you they follow you.

10:49They want to be part of the journey. So it's so powerful, your communication and being really clear. Right, now let's get into element number three. Embody the energy before the achievement. What does that mean? Well, one of the biggest myths about executive presence is that you earn it when you get the title or the promotion or the business growth. But the real truth is you build presence first and then the external success follows. You know I've seen graduates, interns who command the room more powerfully than directors. You know I've seen founders early in their journey who exude vision and alignment long before they've hit a revenue or a profit target.

11:35And why is that? Well it's because they embody the energy of who they are becoming. They lead themselves into that future. Executive presence means showing up today as if you're already trusted, you're already respected and influential. And it's not from arrogance, but from alignment. It's the way you sit in a room, shoulders back, big smile, the way you manage your energy. Energy is so important. It's infectious. The way you recover from a mistake. The way you respond when someone challenges you. It's also about consistency. Are you showing up with the same energy across the board with your team, your clients, your peers?

12:25What would people say about you? Are you an energy giver or are you a mood hoover? So here's another good exercise for you. And you might want to write this down. I find journaling is a great way, actually, of personal development and really thinking about your leadership. So if I already had the role, the recognition and the results that I want, how would I be showing up today? okay ask yourself that question and then just choose one small way to embody that energy now whatever that might be it might be that you want to work on how you walk into a room you know do you walk in normally because you're a little bit nervous and shy with your your head down and your your shoulders hunched maybe that that can happen we're all we're all work in progress so maybe the thing for you might be when I walk into a room next time I am going to be stood tall with my shoulders back and with a big smile on my face.

13:28Simple thing but that first impression that counts. Okay so just just choose one thing that you're going to work on. So let's pull all of this together just in terms of a short recap. So executive presence it really isn't just about being confident. I hope you can see that now. It's about being congruent, congruent with your values, congruent with your message, congruent with the version of you who leads with intention, clarity and impact. So I really want to invite you to do this. After you've listened to this, maybe you're watching this live actually on the live stream on our YouTube channel, Brave Bold Brilliant, or across our social media.

14:16You know, we've got Brave Bold Brilliant social media channels, as well as my personal profiles, Jeanette Linfoot. Let's get connected if we're not connected, actually, please, because that's so important. But, you know, wherever you're listening to this or watching this, just take 20 minutes. 20 minutes, that's all I'm asking for you to do. Grab yourself a cup of tea, go and sit down in a coffee shop or outside on a bench or whatever, looking at nature and reflect on these three areas. You might want to write these down. Number one, where am I most present and where do I tend to disconnect? Number two, what habits do I have that dilute my communication?

15:03What can I shift? Number three, who am I becoming and how can I embody that identity starting right now and if you really want to anchor this work you start creating creating your own ritual your own habit your own executive presence ritual it could be a grounding breath taking a literally a couple of seconds before you go into a big meeting could be something as simple as that might be a power question you ask yourself who am i going to show up today as. It might be a journaling prompt, might be a word, a key word that triggers you to remind yourself how amazing you are and the power that you have and how great you can be in this world to help other people.

15:58So something that reminds you every day that you honestly do not need to wait for permission to lead with presence. And right now, let's be honest, the world doesn't need more noise needs more depth doesn't need more ego needs more energy and it certainly doesn't need more people performing leadership i can act needs people embodying it and genuinely you are that person so i just want to finish by saying thank you for being here thank you for doing the inner work on you. Thank you for showing up for yourself and the people you serve. So remember, you know, all of this, it is by being brave, by being bold, that you're going to get the brilliant.

16:47So have an amazing day, whatever you're doing today. And just remember, life is short. Life is short. So let's make it count. Lead with presence. Be the best version of yourself. every single day. I really hope you've enjoyed this episode of Brave Bold Brilliant. Remember, check out our new website, www.brave-bold-brilliant.com. You're going to find loads of resources on there that's going to help you with your leadership journey and with the businesses that you're trying to scale up and grow. So take care, everyone. And remember, there are no limits to your growth, but it is by being brave and bold that you're going to unlock your brilliant.